B.A. of Slidell says she lost all her recipes and needs one for peach cobbler. This is an easy one, similar to the "magic" recipes made with baking mix: You prepare a batter, pour it into a pan, add the spiced peaches and then pour boiling water over the whole thing. During the baking process, the batter transforms into a crust. You can substitute blueberries for peaches (or use half blueberries and half peaches, a favorite of mine).

Peach cobbler

Makes 6 to 8 servings

6 to 8 fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, sliced

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ¾ cups sugar

½ cup shortening

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 cup boiling water

4 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl stir peaches together with cinnamon and 1 cup sugar. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together shortening and remaining ¾ cup sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt alternately with milk. Pour into prepared pan. Top with peach mixture. Drop butter in boiling water and pour all over peaches.

SEEKING CRAWFISH ZERPA: "Help!!!," says an e-mail from A.D. "Crawfish Zerpa was the 1986 Appetizer Winner in The Times-Picayune Cooking Contest. .¤.¤. I would love to have this recipe again. Thanks."

If anyone who has the 1986 recipe tabloid could e-mail me the recipe to share, A.D. and I would be so grateful.

THE BEVERAGE PART OF THIS COLUMN: "We lived across the street from the 17th Street Canal," C.M.N. writes. "Luckily, in a two-story townhouse, so we only lost half our stuff. We didn't own anything fancy, so most of the things we lost I wasn't so upset about. One of my biggest blows, though, was realizing the plastic bag full of TP recipe clippings I had collected AND USED over the years would be reduced to brown mush."

This was one of the recipes she wanted to replace, for a refreshing sweetened tea flavored with almond extract.

Almond tea

Makes 8 servings
3 tea bags

6 cups water

1 cup sugar

½ cup lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

Boil tea bags in 2 cups water for 5 minutes. Set aside. Boil sugar in 4 cups water for 5 minutes; combine with tea. Stir in lemon juice, vanilla and almond extract.

Chill and serve over ice.

ANOTHER HOT-WEATHER BEVERAGE: "White tropical fruit sangria" is being served at Martinique Bistro. Thanks very much to the management for supplying the recipe.

In a large container combine wine and fruit. Add simple syrup and apricot brandy. Refrigerate overnight.

To serve, place a few pieces of each kind of fruit in a large wine glass, top with about 6 ounces of sangria, and top off with a big splash of club soda.

WHAT'S IN THAT LEMONADE, ANYWAY? "Hi, Judy," B.L. writes. "I read and use a lot of your recipes from The Times-Picayune. I was wondering if you have a recipe for Pat O'Brien's lemonade drink. It tastes like a lemonade, but not sugary sweet."

All I was able to find were two descriptions that don't match. The popular drink served in New Orleans was described by an employee a few years ago as made with Collins mix, Pat O'Brien's dark rum, a splash of grenadine and a garnish of an orange slice and a cherry. The menu of the Universal City Pat O's in Orlando, Fla., says its lemonade is made of its amber rum plus orange-flavored rum, triple sec and sweet and sour mix.

Can anyone shed any more light on this lemonade?

THRIFTY DISH OF THE WEEK: The Washington Post recently featured this recipe from Linda Larsen's "The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook." According to the author, the meatballs can be made for $1.27 per serving. The remaining spinach pesto can be tossed with pasta, spread on garlic bread, or added to salad dressing or dozens of other dishes.

Pesto rice meatballs

Makes about 36 meatballs, 4 to 5 servings

¼ cup raw long-grain rice

1 ¾ cups water

1 egg, slightly beaten

1/3 cup spinach pesto (recipe below)

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

¼ cup grated Parmesan

1 pound 80-percent lean ground beef

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 ounces (1 can) low-sodium condensed tomato soup

Combine rice and ¾ cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook 10 minutes; the rice will not be cooked through. Drain if necessary, and let cool.

Meanwhile, have 2 plates ready. Combine the rice, egg, pesto, milk and cheese in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Add the ground beef, using your hands to combine gently but thoroughly. Form into 1 ½-inch meatballs, placing them on the plates as you work. Cover the plates of meatballs with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for 10 to 15 minutes; that will make the meatballs easier to work with in the next step.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the meatballs; use 2 spoons or forks to turn frequently as they brown lightly, about 5 minutes; meatballs will not be cooked through. Transfer to a clean plate and cook the remaining meatballs. Drain the skillet; add soup and remaining 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high; do not boil. Carefully return cooked meatballs to the skillet; reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot.

Spinach pesto

Makes 2 cups

1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed

½ cup basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ cup chopped walnuts

½ teaspoon salt

‰ teaspoon white pepper

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Drain the spinach in a colander, pressing with your hands to remove excess water. Place it in the bowl of a food processor with basil leaves, dried basil, lemon juice, walnuts, salt, pepper and cheese. Pulse until finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to form a smooth, thick paste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.

Check out the archive of Times-Picayune recipes at http://blog.nola.com/recipes.